Results 7,941-7,960 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I move amendment No. 4: In page 4, to delete line 31 and substitute the following: "(b) persons who were married to another person until that other person's death, or lived with that other person as husband and wife until the other person's death— (i) if the surviving persons have attained the age of 70 years at the time of the death, (ii) if the death occurred on or after 1 January 2009,...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: The medical card scheme is generally on an administrative basis with the exception of the 2001 Act relating to those over 70. Notwithstanding that, the practice is that when someone under 70 becomes a widow or widower the card is left with the person until the card has to be renewed. The reason for the amendment applying from 1 January is that all these provisions apply from 1 January. I am...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I refer to the latter issue first. A brother and sister cannot apply for an old age pension or any other social welfare benefit together. I do not mean to be smart but we operate on the basis that families are recognised for the purposes of medical cards. When a member of a family qualifies for a medical card, the spouse and the children are included on the card. When the automatic...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: With regard to Deputy Shatter's question it is not envisaged that any additional personnel will be required. Next year, as the Deputy is aware, the intention is to advance a redundancy programme within all levels of the HSE, beginning at the administrative management level and the GMS and it is understood there is scope there, as there is elsewhere. The application process will be greatly...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I do not think too many people over the age of 70 who are widowed will put an advertisement in the newspaper to suggest that someone comes and lives with them so they can keep their medical cards. I do not believe such a scenario exists. The onus in the application process rests with the older person. It is a simplified self-assessment. The HSE must use the provisions it uses at present...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I remember thinking that someday we will all receive such a letter. A person is entitled to the pension and the purpose of the letter is not to confirm circumstances with regard to one's earnings. It is simply to receive a response so a payment is not being made to a person who has unfortunately passed away and the authorities are unaware of this. This is done for all State occupational...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: All guidelines with regard to this age group will have to be amended in accordance with the new legislation. Prior to Christmas it is my intention to meet, along with my officials, the HSE and those who operate the GMS to discuss the communications to older people and general practitioners and the guidelines will be raised also.

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I agree with Deputy Shatter that a court challenge to the provision of a medical card to a widow or widower is unlikely. That is not the issue. The concern is that a single person might initiate legal action to the effect that he or she is being discriminated against on grounds of receiving different treatment to that afforded to widows and widowers.

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: That is the advice we have received. We have been further advised that a period of three years is reasonable and that a longer period or an indefinite period might be subject to serious legal challenge from people who never married. Consider the case, for example, of two neighbours, one a widowed person with an income of €1,300 per week and the other a single person with an income of...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I move amendment No. 5: In page 4, line 32, to delete "(b) dependants of the persons referred to in" and substitute the following: "(c) dependants of the persons referred to in".

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I said earlier that we intend to do this on an administrative basis. However, since this provision is the same, I will accept the amendment, subject to the requirement for any drafting amendment. I will accept it if it is in order.

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: If we have all the exceptions that people are talking about and so many people are going to lose their cards, then the saving will be immense indeed. From what I am hearing, all kinds of people will allegedly lose their medical cards. Section 3 is the heart of the legislation. We had a discussion earlier about principles and purpose. The essential purpose of the legislation is to withdraw...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: It has been the practice for State benefits in the medical card area and in other areas like housing to treat cohabiting couples on the same basis as married couples for many reasons. In the early part of the new year I hope the House will deal with the civil union Bill which will address issues relating to same-sex couples and bring equality there. In all this we need to be conscious of...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: No. We are treating people, whether they are married or single, on the basis of income. It is exactly on the same basis. It is based totally on equality. The Deputy earlier claimed that what we are doing is unconstitutional. If that were the case, if a couple has a social welfare pension and one party passes away, the remaining party gets the benefit of that for a period of, I believe,...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: My advice is different. I will clarify it shortly. Somebody on €600 per week who lives alone having been deserted or abandoned, or whatever the case may be, will be eligible. I know somebody aged approximately 67 who is not in a dissimilar position and she has a medical card.

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: A few moments ago I explained in response to Deputy Barrett that there are three routes for an over 70 year old to get a medical card. There is the route based on gross income, the discretionary card and the net income position, which covers situations where people have nursing home charges etc.

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: People have medical cards based on their financial circumstances and weekly incomes, for single people €700 per week and for married people €1,400 per week. Anybody who does not qualify on those grounds has the same routes available to people under the age of 70, including somebody aged 68 or 69. This provision was introduced in 2001 when the country's circumstances were very different....

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I do not want to be overly political in the debate, although I suppose it is a rather political debate, but I mentioned this to Deputy Reilly earlier and I will say it again. Deputy Reilly says that he changed his mind based on evidence. A year ago next Sunday Deputy Reilly said to a respected journalist that a means test should be introduced. I am not making a big issue of it, but there...

Health Bill 2008: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: There are a number of matters to which I want to respond in respect of issues raised by Deputy Shatter. I will then turn to technical issues. The Bill was drafted by my Department in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and was personally overseen by the Attorney General. In the intervening period between the remarks made by Deputy Shatter yesterday and today, the Attorney...

Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2008)

Mary Harney: I thank Deputies who contributed to the debate. In response to the two Deputies who spoke immediately before me, one year ago next Sunday the Fine Gael spokesperson on health, Deputy James Reilly, told the respected journalist, Ms Aileen O'Meara, that medical cards for those aged over 70 years should be means tested. It is hard to believe he made this comment less than a year ago.